Most healthcare consumers are keenly aware that healthcare costs have risen dramatically over the past decade. For many people, this increase in healthcare costs means that any prolonged, chronic, or serious illness/injury can easily result in healthcare expenses that are simply beyond their capability to pay. Indeed, it is currently estimated that healthcare related expenses contribute, if not cause, 62% of the personal bankruptcies filed in the United States each year.
Not only is the situation described above problematic for the healthcare consumers who cannot pay their healthcare expenses, it is also a significant problem for healthcare service provides who currently end up writing off up to 50% of the patient portion of funds owed to them after patient healthcare insurance plans have paid their share. This situation for the healthcare service providers is further aggravated by the fact that the healthcare services industry has some of the highest invoice processing costs of any industry, often on the order of 15% of the invoiced amount.
Given the nature of healthcare expenses, and the gravity of the situation described above, particularly for the patients/healthcare consumers, there are many individuals and/or organizations that would be willing to help patients/healthcare consumers with their healthcare expenses if: the potential donors were made aware of specific situations and/or patients in need; the potential donors could verify the patients' bills and verify that their donations were being made for legitimate causes; and the potential donors had a relatively easy way to facilitate providing funds and ensuring the funds were used to help pay the patients' healthcare expenses.
While the contributions from these potential donors are sorely needed and would unquestionable help many patients, there is currently no effective or efficient system for helping these potential donors become aware of specific and verified patients in need, or for providing the donors an efficient method for making donations to the healthcare service providers to whom the patient owes the funds. Consequently, many patients are currently forced into financial dire straits by healthcare expenses while, at the same time, many potentially willing donors are unaware of the patients' situations and/or feel they have no easy way of verifying a patient's need or of easily making payment to the healthcare providers on behalf of a patient. Clearly this is a less than ideal situation for all parties involved.